I am jealous of birth stories when a mom gets to see and hold her baby immediately after delivery. I remember when I was pregnant, I used to imagine what that moment would be like. I would close my eyes and try to picture my newborn son being placed on my chest as the tears of joy ran down my face. Of course, that is not how my birthing experience was at all.

My son’s birth was a blur, it happened so quickly that I still shake my head thinking about it. I won’t go into too many details, but I arrived at the hospital at 11 pm and my son was born less than 3 hours later. In a nutshell, my labor progressed quickly which shocked everyone. I literally was checked into a room when I was 6 cm, received my epidural, then at 9 1/2 cm, my blood pressure dropped drastically. Baby’s heart rate was impacted, so the decision was made for an emergency c-section.

Before I knew it, I was in the operating room and there were like a million people around me.  It was scary and not the experience I had hoped for. I could feel the doctor cutting me and I remember crying out. The doctor asked what I felt and I described it as a sharpness and poking. A strong cocktail was quickly administered into my veins and my husband was told I wouldn’t feel anything, know where I was or what was going on. They were not lying, I don’t really remember much about the actual birth. Apparently, they were telling me my son was out but I couldn’t comprehend anything.

Eventually, I heard a baby crying and asked “do I hear a baby” and it took a while for reality to set in that it was my son crying. The nurses laid him on my chest for a quick family photo and I remember touching his blonde hair and noticing he had blue eyes, but then he was quickly taken to the nursery with daddy following close behind.  Needless to say, I was completely drugged and thankful my husband took photos so I could later share the birth experience.

I still ask my husband to give me the play by play from the operating room because I was as high as a kite. I tear up every time I see my son’s first pictures because those are images I wish I was able to witness or remember. All in all, I delivered a very healthy baby boy and that is all that matters.

Anyone else have a similar birth experience? Do you feel as though you missed out too?

Thanks for visiting The Unemployed Mom. Have a great weekend!

Not many people warn a first time pregnant mom about the realities or miseries of pregnancy, instead only warm and fuzzy stories are shared.  I was completely naive about pregnancy and what my body was about to endure, so I wanted to make a top 10 list of the things I learned and/or experienced.

1.  It is very difficult to only gain the recommended 25 – 30 lbs.  I put on a whopping 57 lbs with my little guy and I walked several miles per day! Oddly enough, eating was the only thing that made me feel better during the first trimester.  I even woke up starving in the middle of the night and would have to eat.

2.  Morning sickness needs a new name.  I felt queasy all day long during the first trimester and threw up daily from week 7 to 14. Smells were the absolute worst for me (fabric softeners, colognes, perfumes, lotions, refrigerators, food cooking, and the grocery meat counter were just a few smells that triggered my gag reflex).  I learned that eating small frequent meals seemed to help ease my queasiness.  

3.  It’s not a pregnancy glow, it’s greasy skin! The only reason people said I was glowing was because of all the fattening, greasy food that was coming out of my pores.  In addition to the grease, I was continuously sweating because I was overheated.

4.  I think I am an elephant!  It’s amazing how much water my body retained!  I actually referred to my ankles as “cankles” since I couldn’t tell where my calves ended and ankles began. One friend actually referred to my feet as livestock. Some friend, huh?  The only thing that helped with my fluid retention was swimming (I actually felt human in a pool)!

5.  There is no such thing as sleep.  During the third trimester, I had the worst case of pregnancy insomnia. Besides, I was so enormous that it was impossible to get comfortable.  I found my recliner was the best choice for sleeping since it was easy to get out of for my frequent bathroom trips.  I do believe this was nature’s way of preparing me for being up with my newborn, but I needed my sleep…I was creating life which was no easy task!

6.  Just because it’s your first baby, doesn’t mean you’ll be in labor forever!  I wanted to make sure what I was experiencing was true labor, so I walked 3 miles while timing my contractions.  I finally left for the hospital when my contractions were 2 minutes apart and to my surprise, I was 6 1/2 cm dilated upon arrival.  By the time I was moved to a room (within an hour) and ready to get my epidural, I was almost 8 cm! 

7.  Practice breathing techniques so you can somewhat relax during labor.  As mentioned previously, my labor progressed so quickly that even my Dr. was baffled.  I took the easy way out with a one-day Lamaze class that was not hands-on (I didn’t want to spend multiple days sitting in a classroom and felt silly role playing with pillows).  I was given a CD to practice breathing and never used it.  I regret this because I found myself almost hyperventilating with my continuous contractions.  It took the anesthesiologist three attempts to get the epidural in my back because I could not sit still.

8.  Don’t assume you won’t have a cesarean section.  I never dreamed I’d end up with an emergency c-section so I didn’t pay attention to that chapter in my birthing class.  I wish I did because I would have had a better idea about what to expect with the procedure as well as recovery.

9.  Don’t expect to leave the hospital at your pre-pregnancy size after giving birth.  I still looked about 6 or 7 months pregnant when I left the hospital with my bundle of joy, so I was glad I packed maternity clothing to wear home.  Reality is, my body changed shapes during pregnancy and thanks to my c-section, I’ll probably never be my pre-pregnancy size again. My son is almost a year old and I am still carrying an extra 10 lbs (but could stand to lose more than that)!

10.  Breast feeding is not easy!  I understand why some women choose not to breast feed, it really takes a lot of time and energy. For the first 3 months, I felt like all I did was feed my son 24/7!  He was a frequent eater (every 90 minutes to 3 hours) and it was exhausting and painful at times.  I stuck with it for 10 1/2 months until he went on a nursing strike.  The bonding experience was truly amazing and I’m glad breast feeding is the route we took.

The excitement about becoming a mom and feeling the baby move were the highlights of my pregnancy. The majority of my pregnancy was completely miserable, but the end-result was so worthwhile! There is nothing like gazing into your baby’s eyes for the first time!  My son is such a blessing and I thank God for him every single day.